Immigration: Open front doors, closed windows.

I have thought about immigration reform for years. The short of it is that first things first we have to have control of our borders. It has always been important, but in a world dominated by international terrorism and the possibility of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons it must become a priority. We cannot have people entering this country without knowledge of who they are.

It is good that the debate has become public. We should expand this public debate to have referendums regarding citizenship and the road to citizenship. We’ve all heard the term “ugly American,” well now we have the “ugly immigrant.” It is surreal to hear that people who want to come and live and be part of the United States consider it to be racist that they learn English. We must also change our immigrant policies. No longer should it be policy for relatives of newly minted citizens to have priority over others who wish to come. We should take a page from Canada and value some skills over others.